Full-stroke mechanism for vending-machines.



W. l. RAVERT.

FULL STROKE MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-24, I91]- I Patented Oct. 1,1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY W. l. RAVERT.

FULL STROKE MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-24.19l7.

Patented 0013.1, 1918. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 mmw INVENTOR v ATTORN EY WILLIAM ISAAC RAVERT, OF HAZLETON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 STANDARD AUTOMATIC MACHINE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- TION OF DELAWARE.

FULL-STROKE MECHANISM FOR VENDING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented @ct. 11, 11918.

Application filed August 24, 1917. Serial No. 189,010.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM I, RAVERT, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Hazleton, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Full-Stroke Mechanism for Vending- Machines, of which the following is a specification. This invention has reference to full stroke mechanism for coin-controlled vending machines, and its object is to insure the full movement of the manipulating member of the'machine when once such movement is started after the insertion in the coin-controlled mechanism of a suitable coin.

The invention is particularly applicable .to a coin-controlled mechanism or coin-lock of the general character shown in Letters Patent for a vending machine, No. 909,689, granted to John Schmidt on Jan. 12, 1909, but is-susceptib-le for use with other coin locks and so is not necessarily limited to the particular coin lock referred to.

The invention provides a reciprocatory push bar having ratchet teeth along one edge for an appropriate distance, and in the path of the ratchet teeth is a rockable paw'l having means associated therewith for holding the pawl in either one of two positions between which positions the. pawl is engaged by the ratchet teeth, so that when so engaged the push bar may move actively but is prevented from retrogressive movement.

Carried by the ush bar are spaced stop members and the pawl is provided with a portion to be engaged by the stop members to rock the pawl into one or the other of the two positions in which it is held by the holding means when not in engagement with the ratchet teeth.

By such means, the push bar" may be moved actively until it completes its full active stroke, and only then can the push bar be returned to the intitial position, because at such full stroke position the pawl is automatically disengaged from the ratchet teeth and remains in the disengaged position until the full retraction of the push bar is accomplished.

The invention will 'be best understood from aconsideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the further under.

standing that, while the drawings show a practical form of the invention,'the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modifications come within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a coin lock in which the invention is incorporated with indications of enough of the connections to the vending mechanism for an understanding of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but with the face plate removed;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detailed views illustrating the operation of the invention;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the push bar.

Referring to the drawings, there are shown two plates 1 and 2 respectively, separated by spacers 3 and connected by screws 1 or in any other appropriate manner so as to define a. channel 5 to constitute a coin chute. Between the plates 1 and 2 there is mounted a push bar 6 having at one end a head 7 which, in the installed machine, is exterior to the customary outer casing, and at the other end has a nose 8 for engaging a coin. There is also a stop member 9 in the path of the nose end of the push bar, but it is unnecessary to refer particularly to these devices, since they form no part of the present invention and are described in the aforesaid Letters Patent.

One of the spacing plates 3 is cut away to form a chamber 10 between the main plates 1 and 2, this chamber opening into the channel along which the bar 6 travels. In the chamber 10 there is mounted a rock pawl 11 having a pivot support 12. The pawl 11 in the particular structure shown is of approximately triangular shape with one corner formed into a nose 13 and another corner into a nose 14-, each nose being distant from the pivot 12. Adjacent to the pivot 12 and at approximately the third corner of the triangular pawl is an offset bent finger 15, so positioned as to extend to one side and partially over the. corresponding face of the push bar 6, the latter being a flat'har.

Lodged in the chamber 10 and associated with the'nose 14 of the pawl 11 is a pivoted latch 16, the pivot of the latch being at one end thereof and near the other end the latch having two adjacent notches 17 and 18 into either of which the nose 14 may move. A spring 19 serves to constantly constrain the latch 16 toward the pawl 11.

In that edge of the bar 6 toward the pawl 11 there is formed a row of ratchet teeth 20 at some distance from the end of the bar 6 carrying the nose 8. Immediately adjacent to that end of the bar 6 having the nose 8there is an elongated depression 21 ending in a beveled shoulder 22, the bevel inclining toward the ratchet teeth 20.

The bar 6 carries a stud 23 to which certain of the operating mechanism for the vending side of the machine is attached, as for instance, a lever 24 and a rock arm 25, but no particular description of these devices is deemed necessary since they form no part of the invention. The stud 23, however, carries a strip 26 terminating at the ends in upstanding lugs or stop members 27 and 28, in the path of which the finger 15 on the pawl 11 is located. The arrangement is such that at the full out or projected position of the push bar 6 the stop member 27 is in engagement with the finger 15, forcing the nose 13 into the depression 21 in close relation to the bevel 22. When the push bar 6 completes its active stroke or inward travel, the lug 28 engages the finger 15, causing the rocking of the pawl to carry the nose 14, which, in the first-named posltion, is in the recess 17, out of said recess and into the recess 18, the latch 16 and spring 19 yielding for the purpose. This movement of the pawl is sufficient to lift the nose 13 out of the path of the ratchet teeth 20, so that the bar 6 may then be fully retracted without interference from the pawl 11. .When the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and a coin such as indicated in otted lines at 29 in Fig. 2 is inserted in the coin chute 5 so as to be in the path of the manipulating bar 6, the latter is then pushed by force applied to the head 7 so as to move inwardly with respect to the machine, such inward movement causing the bevel 22 to engage the nose 13 and thereby rock the pawl 11 until the nose 13 rides on top of the bar 6 and the nose 14 is forced toward but not into the recess 18.

Continued active movement of the bar 6- ultimately brings the ratchet teeth 20 into engagement with the nose '13, which rides over the ratchet teeth but is always constrained to move into the spaces between the tops of the ratchet teeth so as to prevent any retractive movement of the push bar. Consequently, the push bar must be moved actively until ultimately the stop 28 is brought into contact with the finger 15 and further movement of the push bar results in rocking the pawl 11 until the nose 14 snaps into the recess 18 of the latch 16, thus elevating the nose 13 and holding it well out of the path of the ratchet teeth 20. Now the push bar may be returned to its first position, such retractive movement being brought about by suitable devices not shown in the drawings, as for instance, by a spring as indicated in the aforesaid Letters Patent.

When the bar 6 has nearly reached its full retracted position, the stop member 27 is brought into engagement with the finger 15, thus forcibly rocking the pawl 11 to carry the nose 14 out of the recess 18 and into the recess 17, the bevel 22 being so situated that the nose 13 may then drop into the depressed portion 21 of the manipulating or push band The position of the full stroke mechanism when the push bar is about to start on its active travel is shown particularly in Fig. 3, but also appears in Fig. 2. When the push bar has accomplished a portion of its travel, the pawl is in engagement with some one of the ratchet teeth 20 as indicated in Fig. 4. When the push bar has completed its active travel, the pawl is lifted away from the ratchet teeth and is held by the recessed portion 18 of the latch 16 as indicated in Fig. 5, so that the push bar is then free to return to its first position.

The mechanism insures the certain delivcry of goods without the possibility of premature release of the plunger bar, which release would result in the return of the plunger bar to the first or projected position without the customer receiving the expected article, and this might lead the customer to think that the machine was out of order or the customer might be led to fail to fully operate the machine and so condemn it unjustly. The mechanism avoids the necessity of fine adjustments and permits coarser adjustments than have heretofore beenpossible to insure the certain operation of the machine.

The invention is useful for either single or double delivery, that is, where a single article is delivered for a deposited coin or two or more articles are delivered in success1on on the depositlon of a proper com.

The invention is also applicable for ma chines arranged for use with either one or both of two coms or even more than two coins.

mounted adjacent to the push bar and provided with a nose for engaglng the ratchet teeth and for entering'the depressed portion of the bar, another nose spaced from the first-named nose and a finger spaced from both noses within the path of the stop members on the bar, and a spring controlled latch member having adjacent recesses for the reception of the second-named nose on the pawl.

2. In a coin-controlled vending machine, a reciprocable push bar, pawl and ratchet meansfor preventing return movements of the bar until the full stroke is accomplished, latch means associated with the pawl means for holding the latter in operative relation to the ratchet means, and stop means on the reciprocatory push bar for engaging the pawl means at opposite limits of the movement of the push bar for actuating the pawl means into and out of operative relation to the ratchet means.

3. In a coin-controlled vending machine, a reciprocatory push bar with one-Way ratchet teeth thereon intermediate of the length of the bar, and a depressed portion at the inner end of the bar terminating in a bevel, a substantially triangular pawl pivoted near one corner adjacent to the push bar and provided at the corners remote from the pivot with nose portions and at the corner adjacent to the pivot with a finger in close relation to the push bar, stop members on the push bar for engaging the finger at opposite limits of movement of the push bar, and a spring controlled latch having a plurality of notches for receiving one nose of the pawl, the other nose of the pawl being located to be engaged by the ratchet teeth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I havehereto aflixed my signature in the presence'of tWo witnesses.

WILLIAM ISAAC RAVERT.

Witnesses:

HARRY M. CARTER, STEPHEN ELIJUI'I. 

